


Night Visions

by Chia_P



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:24:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8174869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chia_P/pseuds/Chia_P
Summary: This is a collection of short nighttime stories about various Ensemble Stars pairings. Each chapter is a oneshot that can stand alone. Pairings and themes will be in chapter titles for easy browsing. Rated Teen for vague mentions of sex and some other things that might crop up later-nightmares, for example.1: CkiaKana - Stargazing2: MaoHoku - Cold3: KaoSou - Nature Documentary4: ShuNazu - Nightmare5: Izumi - Memories6: KeiEi - Bronchitis





	1. Cetus: ChiaKana - Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night sky is always something worth sharing.

Kanata Shinkai had been in that fragile lull between dreams when a shimmering light reached into his consciousness and roused him. Cracking one eye open he saw the room bathed in pale blue light. Intrigued, he rubbed his face and sat up. There had been a violent rainstorm the previous evening that had cut power to their whole town, if not further. He wondered for a second if it was back on, but all the little lights on the computer and phone chargers were still dark. 

He moved the covers aside and crawled to the end of the bed to get a better look out of the window. The moon was the brightest he'd ever seen it outside of September, and the stars glistened like hundreds of phosphorescent fish frozen as if someone had taken a picture of them and placed it in the heavens where they could live a different life-a thousand different lives. He sat there, transfixed for several minutes thinking about if space hid things in its outermost reaches the way the sea swallowed its secrets down into unfathomable depths. The thought that finally broke his trance was, “Chiaki has to see this.”

Kanata tore his eyes away from the sky and crawled back to where the other boy was still sleeping. “Chiaki.” Kanata whispered. When he received no response, he continued. “Chiaki. Hey, Chiaki.” He shook the brunet's shoulder a couple times before hearing him groan and watching him stir. “Chi. A. Ki~”

“Mmph? Wha izzit Kanata?” The brunet slurred as he turned to squint up at his blue haired boyfriend silhouetted in moonlight. His silky hair and pale skin were almost glowing, making him appear otherworldly and gorgeous. Chiaki blinked a few times, wondering if he was really awake and then groggily asked, “Somethin' wrong?”

Kanata smiled and shook his head. “No, but I wanted you to 'see.' Look, Chiaki.” Kanata gestured to the parted curtains that were allowing moonlight to spill into the room.

“Oh yeah,” he yawned, “with all the lights around turned off, we can see the stars much better.” He began to move toward the foot of the bed, but was temporarily delayed by a battle with the blankets he hadn't thought to remove first. He rolled to the edge and heard Kanata let out a whisper of a giggle when Chiaki softly collided with his side. Still a bit sleepy, the brunet slowly righted himself and leaned on his boyfriend as they tilted their heads to gaze at the heavens, almost in unison.

After a few minutes, Chiaki moved to put an arm around Kanata's shoulders. “So, what are you thinking?”

Green eyes closed as the other boy hummed and thought for a moment. “It's different than the 'ocean' but I 'like' it.”

The brunet leaned his cheek against his boyfriend's shoulder. “Mmm. I'm glad.” 

“It's kind of like 'fish.'” 

“You know, some are even named after fish.”

“Really?” There was a hint of excitement in Kanata's wistful voice. He turned to see his boyfriend's brown eyes lit up with enthusiasm and the gentle glow of moonlight as the sleepyhead began to wake up a little more.

Chiaki pointed out the window with his free arm. “See that group of stars right there?” He traced a shape with his index finger.

Green eyes followed his finger. “Yeah.”

“That constellation is called Cetus. We also call it the whale constellation, but it was actually named after a sea monster in Greek mythology.”

“Hmm. A 'sea monster?' It's like bubble bubble.”

“Haha, I suppose.” He pointed to a specific star. “See that really bright one in the tail? It's named Deneb Kaitos and is the brightest one in Cetus.. We're lucky; the whole constellation is so big that it's only fully visible around this time of year.”

“Hmm.” Kanata tilted his head to rest his cheek atop Chiaki's hair and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's free shoulder. His body heat was pleasantly warm in the slightly chilly bedroom. “A big 'sea monster' in the sky? I guess 'space' is a big enough 'ocean' though...”

At the contact, the brunet let out a contented sigh and scooted closer. “I'm sure it is.”

They continued to sit on the end of the bed, arms around each other, gazing up at the night sky like children full of awe and wonder.

To the stars, they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! They use a lot of star names in Tokusatsu, so I thought Chiaki might have looked for them in the night sky and gained a bit of an interest in astronomy. The bedroom is slightly chilly for Kanata but probably more for Chiaki, since it's around November and the heat is currently out.
> 
> Requests are welcome, but if the plot bunnies don't hop, it might not get written! I have partial drafts for AraIsu, Keichi, and ShuNazu, but I'm open to any pairing and prompt.
> 
> Please give me any feedback you might have! I'd love to know if you enjoyed it or have critiques. I tweet @usanazunii and shitpost occasionally @EnStarsFromLN with silly text messages the characters could send each other from Texts From Last Night.


	2. A Chill in the Air: MaoHoku - Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao really can't stand when things are so cold.

Mao carefully folded the beautiful silk of the stage costume he had worn for Akatsuki's performance and handed it back to Kuro. Even though their show had been practically flawless, he felt empty. He wondered if he would ever be able to stop second-guessing his decision to leave Trickstar and questioning how things might have been different if they had staid together. 

Though the members of Akatsuki were friendly enough toward him, he missed the close friendships he had with his peers in Trickstar. They were all in a different class from him, so he barely saw them. Makoto looked so drained whenever they passed in the halls. Subaru always had a look of concern on his face. The only one who appeared ok was Hokuto, but the kind boy was very good at hiding his feelings and concentrating on the task at hand. The other boy had always been a very focused person, and a little part of Mao was dying knowing he was not a part of that focus anymore. He missed the times when the dark haired boy would look at him with a mix of concern, kindness, and deep appreciation as they struggled to keep their unit afloat and plan their rebellion.

Mao saw him at some of the Student Council meetings that involved the class presidents, but they never really had an opportunity to talk. Mao just watched him walk away, toward the next thing in his life that was probably further away from Mao. The redhead shivered at the thought. Loneliness felt like a chill that would never leave him.

At the end of one meeting, Mao ran after his former teammate to talk. He grabbed onto the sleeve of Hokuto's uniform, and received the coldest glare he had ever seen in return. He felt like he was frozen solid and the tiniest blow might shatter him. He felt his hand crumble as the other boy yanked his sleeve out of Mao's grasp. Hokuto turned around with disgust in his eyes, and shoved the green eyed boy away. Mao was so numb from cold that he did not think he would be able to feel Hokuto's ice cold hands on him-the same hands he was always dying to hold and warm up with his own body heat. However, he could feel their frigidness pierce him, especially where one made contact directly over his heart.

Mao woke up with a gasp. It took him a minute to realize he was not at school. It took a little longer for him to realize he was at Hokuto's grandparents' house. He was still in Trickstar. Hokuto still talked to him. Hokuto was even sleeping beside him. 

They had laid four futon out on the floor of the elongated nine tatami room where Hokuto's grandmother entertained the occasional visitor. Trickstar always went to the dark haired boy's house for overnight planning and team building-the latter just being a fancy term for spending time together as friends. Subaru had convinced them that they needed to meet like this every once in a while. The current overnight stay was the first that they had planned after the winter cold had really set in. Hokuto had warned them that the poor insulation in the older house might make for quite a chilly night, but none were deterred. Now that Mao was realizing how cold it was, he was beginning to wish that he'd brought an extra blanket from home. He was much colder than he ever expected to be. Maybe this was why Hokuto's hands were so cold. Maybe they never truly recovered from winter in this frigid house. Mao wasn't sure if he should bother the boy in question after being warned about the temperature, but he crawled over to the edge of his futon and shook his friend's shoulder. 

Hokuto wasn't a particularly heavy sleeper, so it didn't take long to rouse him. "Mmm. What is it? Something wrong?" He squinted and barely lifted his head off of the pillow, unsure of why he was being woken up and wanting to go back to sleep before the cold would begin to be noticeable to him. Sleeping straight through the night was a pretty important part of surviving his house in the winter.

Mao hesitated. He didn't feel like what he was about to do was exactly honest. It's true that he was chilly, but wasn't there a difference between stealing body heat and stealing body heat from someone you had a crush on? He'd already woken Hokuto though, so he shifted nervously and went for it anyway. "It's really cold in here."

"I told you guys it would be. It's not like it was in the summer..." He wasn't cranky, just half asleep, and the first thing he could think of was that he really had tried to warn them. He hoped he didn't sound like he was annoyed. Sometimes, the dark haired boy came off as more blunt than he intended and often didn't notice when it happened. He thought of a solution and began to slide away from Mao.

Mao thought he had annoyed his friend and that the other boy was just scooting away to go back to sleep. He jumped a little when Hokuto spoke quietly again, "Come here. I've made room. Bring your blanket to put on top of mine too.” 

Mao couldn't believe this was happening. He liked the thought of it, but now he was fairly nervous as well. The redhead crawled over, dragging his blanket with him. He handed one edge of it to Hokuto, and they spread it out on top of the one the dark haired boy had been using. He hesitantly slid under the blankets. The realization that he hadn't even needed to ask to be invited over calmed him a little and warmed his heart. Hokuto had simply made room for him and told him to come over. The other boy was always really nice, if you took the time to get to know him. He almost jumped when he felt Hokuto's warm body press up against his. "W-wha?" He stammered. 

Hokuto hesitated. He had been in the middle of wrapping his arms around the redhead and was beginning to worry that he had made some kind of mistake. He wondered if he had misread the situation. "Huh? You were cold, right?" 

"Y-yeah I just..." He just what? Mao didn't know. He could definitely not say that he would just like it too much or that he would miss it for the rest of his miserable existence if it never happened again.

Hokuto's brain was clouded with sleep. He could be a morning person most of the time, but he was definitely not a middle-of-the-night person. "I'm sor-"

His words abruptly stopped when Mao put a hand on the arm that had been moving to wrap around his chest. "N-no. Don't be." Mao replied. He continued more quietly, "It's nice." He felt Hokuto nod behind him and then move in closer, wrapping an arm around his torso and pulling Mao's back to rest against his own front. 

"Thanks, Hokuto." The redhead whispered. He meant so much more than whose two words implied on the surface. He wanted to thank the other boy for always being such a good friend, checking up on him, and always appreciating his hard work. He felt like the dark haired boy understood and related to his struggles, and it was very comforting. He just wished he could find a time when he felt comfortable really expressing it. While they were half asleep and pressed up against each other sharing the same futon didn't seem like the best time.

"You're welcome, Isara. Sleep well." Hokuto pressed his forehead against Mao's hair and was ready to drift off again when Mao spoke. 

"Hokuto, we're close aren't we?" Mao thought it was probably a dumb thing to ask right after it left his lips. They were right up against each other and maybe Hokuto would be thinking about that more literal meaning and not their friendship. 

The other boy was a little surprised by the question but was too groggy for it to really come through when he spoke. "Yeah, I'd say we are. Why?"

Mao could feel Hokuto's warm breath against his neck and was enjoying the sensation while judging himself for that very enjoyment. "Well, uh, you know you can call me just by my first name, right?"

"Oh...ok. I will then." Hokuto felt like he was being a bit awkward but didn't know what to say to that. Holding Mao in his arms, even if it was just for heat, and calling him by his first name seemed so intimate. The thing that was more concerning, though, was his realization that he was quickly coming to enjoy it. "Goodnight, Mao."

"Goodnight, Hokuto." Mao felt his friend cuddle a little closer before they both drifted back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up a lot longer than I had originally thought these stories would be. I started talking about this idea with a friend on LINE and then realized I had outlined a whole story (This happens so often that it's ridiculous). So many rare pairs, so little time.
> 
> Please give me any feedback you might have! I'd love to know if you enjoyed it or have critiques. I tweet (and retweet a lot of art) @usanazunii and shitpost occasionally @EnStarsFromLN with silly text messages the characters could send each other from Texts From Last Night.


	3. The Sea Turtle: KaoSou - Nature Documentary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is why Souma should not watch nature documentaries before bed.

Kaoru Hakaze groaned as he stood from the couch where he had been reading. A few years ago, he might have said, "Reading doesn't get you any chicks," but he came to admit he was wrong with two parts of that statement. Some women like well-read men, and some men don't exclusively like women. He had come to realize, after years of denial, that he was one of those men. He'd stopped arguing and putting up a front towards his high school crush and had instead asked him out. Now, he was moving towards the bedroom that they shared for some cuddling and what he hoped would be a good night's rest.

"Uuuuuuu!"

His eyes widened as his ears picked up the sounds of his boyfriend weeping. Blond hair swished as he hurriedly opened the door to see what was the matter. There sat his boyfriend, Souma Kanzaki, in the middle of their bed with tears running down his reddened face. A few wisps of his long, dark hair were clinging to the tears on his face while the rest draped across his shoulders and cascaded down his hunched back.

Kaoru rushed forward trying not to sound panicked as he asked, "Hey, babe, what happened?"

"H-he didn't make it!" Souma wailed.

"What? Who didn't make it?" The taller man was now crawling onto the bed to rub his boyfriend's shoulder.

"The s-sea t-turtle!" Souma bawled.

"The sea turtle?" Kaoru was rubbing Souma's back and trying to catch up. It was then that he noticed the flicker of the small television they kept in their bedroom. "Oh, was there one on TV?"

"Y-yeah. H-he g-g-got...h-he..."

The blond pulled his uncontrollably sobbing boyfriend against his chest and began stroking his hair. "Hey, shhh, it's ok."

"N-no it's n-not!" Souma grabbed a handful of the blond's t-shirt as he snapped his reply.

The squeaky, indignant shout was muffled in Kaoru's t-shirt and pec, which caused him to desperately choke down a chuckle. He took a moment to just run his fingers through dark, silky locks while he considered his next words carefully. "You're right. I'm sorry. I was saying it was ok, because I wanted you to calm down enough to tell me what happened. Trying to talk about it was getting you more worked up."

Souma gave a nod of understanding against his chest and took a deep breath. He loosened his grip on the cotton of the older man's shirt and began twisting his fingers in it as he tried to calm himself enough to explain. “Th-there w-was a s-sea turtle, and he got-he got caught up in s-some of those plastic r-rings that they use for holding soda c-cans together in America.”

“Ah, I see. That is really sad. I'm sorry it upset you so much.” He started massaging Souma's scalp, since he knew the other always found it relaxing.

“I'm so distraught over their carelessness! I want to-to fly to America to yell at them!” The long haired man gave his boyfriend's chest a weak thump for emphasis.

Kaoru couldn't suppress a laugh that time. “Babe, you have a hard enough time getting through domestic airport security, even with that permit for your sword. You would never make it to America like that.”

“Hmph. Just another thing wrong with that country.”

The blond let out a sigh. “I don't think any other country would be ok with it either. Anyway, the only place you should be traveling right now is dreamland. Are you ready for bed?”

“Yeah,” Souma sighed, melting into his boyfriends chest. He felt the blond gently wipe the remaining tears off of the cheek that hadn't been crying against his chest.

Kaoru smiled. The scalp massage worked every time. He let go of Souma, who crawled to the foot of the bed, where he had abandoned the remote. He turned off the television while the blond pulled down the blankets and got into bed.

Souma slid under the covers after him and snuggled close to his boyfriend's chest. He had calmed down enough that he thought he would be able to sleep just fine wrapped in Kaoru's warm embrace. He felt the blond move away a little to turn off the light before returning and rubbing lazy circles into his back. 

Kaoru tilted his head down to kiss the top of the smaller man's head. He felt rather than heard the other hum in contentment as they settled down for what would hopefully be a good night's rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if they use those plastic rings that hold six packs of cans in Japan too. I know some other countries have banned them. Also, Souma could get his sword through if he checked it (I knew someone who took an ax in a guitar case from America to Germany), but I doubt he'd want to part with it or risk it getting lost.
> 
> Please give me any feedback you might have! I'd love to know if you enjoyed it or have critiques. I tweet @usanazunii and shitpost occasionally @EnStarsFromLN with silly text messages the characters could send each other from Texts From Last Night.
> 
> (I swear there will be angst ones too. I just keep finishing the fluff ones, because they're so fun to write.)


	4. Bodies: ShuNazu - Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shu has a pretty messed up nightmare. Luckily, Nazuna is there.

Shu Itsuki was panting heavily. Valkyrie had just finished an incredible live show, and he was sure that more adrenaline than blood was pumping through his veins. He couldn't remember the last time a performance was that exhilarating. He even wanted to look out to see the faces of the crowd. He was sure they would be filled with awe.

That was a mistake.

There were so many people there-an ocean of them. It was so overwhelming, and they seemed to be getting closer. The stage began to tilt forward, and he could no longer keep his balance, He slid down into their midst. He gagged as the overpowering smell of sweat and rot filled his nose. The pink haired boy covered his mouth and nose while frantically beginning to scan the crowd for Mika, but he was nowhere to be seen. As he looked around, Shu realized that the putrid smell of decay was coming from the bodies surrounding him. Some of them had shriveled faces with exposed teeth while others were missing patches of skin or bloated from decomposition. A few were now pressed up against him, making it impossible to move and more difficult to breathe.

He had to scream. He had to call out for help while he could still draw a strong enough breath to do so. “Help,” he coughed out. He tried clearing his throat and begged his vocal chords to work. “Help! Help.” He was beside himself. It was as if his voice refused to work. Valkyrie's leader did his best to concentrate and will his diaphragm and vocal chords to obey him. “Help!” He screamed out with all of his might and heard his scream echo out this time. The din of the decaying mob began to fade, as he screamed again. He felt something hit him with the second scream, he pushed it away and yelled for help one more time before feeling his body being shaken from the same side where it had been hit. He began to hear a voice calling out to him, saying, “Shu! Shu, wake up! Ish jusht a dweam!”

Shu bolted upright in bed, smacking his small fiancé in the face with his shoulder as he did. He was gasping for air, and his entire body was coated in a thin layer of sweat. He realized what he had just done when he registered the groaning from beside him. Turning on his bedside lamp, light purple eyes groggily squinted and registered the small form of Nazina Nito rubbing his own forehead.

“M-mon Dieu! I-I'm sorry!” He sputtered out.

“Ish not yer fault.” The blond groaned, still pretty groggy himself. He had been startled awake by his fiancé's screams but still hadn't really come to.

Shu hunched his shoulders, feeling guilty nonetheless, and an awkward silence filled the room.

When Nazuna couldn't bear feeling Shu's palpable guilt anymore, he spoke. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, not really.” The other answered quietly, still curled in on himself.

“Oh...ok.” Nazuna didn't mean to sound dejected, but he was still half asleep and not so great at hiding how he felt. He wasn't really the best actor or that good at keeping secrets when he was awake either though.

Shu had been working to be more open-they both had. It wasn't as if Nazuna didn't know about his nightmares, and the more he shared, the more Nazuna opened up to him in return. The blond had a good memory, so he wouldn't really need to go into detail, and that was the main thing he wanted to avoid. He didn't want to prolong his panic. Waking up panicking was bad enough as it was. After some time, he broke the tense silence, “Don't worry. It was just the same kind of stuck-in-a-crowd horror dream that I get...”

“When you're stressed?” The smaller man finished, not wanting to make his fiancé answer out loud. He knew Shu hated revealing weakness when he was trying to focus on feeling strong and confident. Brilliant and successful or washed up garbage were the two ways Shu felt about his efforts. Sometimes his views weren't quite so polarized, but Nazuna knew that the taller man had felt this way on and off ever since high school. 

Shu swallowed. “Yeah.” 

“Ah, come here.” The blond spoke gently to his partner.

The taller man finally lifted his head to look at Nazuna's face. “What?” He saw that the blond had laid back down, beckoning for Shu to lay down beside him. Though he wasn't sure he was ready to go back to sleep quite yet, he never passed up an opportunity to cuddle with the cutest person he had ever known-and would ever know.

Nazuna shifted so that his fiancé's head was resting on his chest and began gently carding his fingers through soft, pink hair, occasionally twirling them in the short strands. He began gently humming one of the French songs the other often listened to while he sewed. Though the blond did not know the words, he knew the tune by heart.

Shu felt some of the tension leave his body as Nazuna traced gentle circles in his scalp with small fingertips. He didn't feel sleep returning just yet, but he felt a warmth spreading in his chest, replacing the racing pain. He knew the smaller man would stay up with him for as long as he needed, so he relaxed a bit more and let his body mold to that of the most precious person to him. After a few more minutes, he began to hum along. He wasn't alright yet, but he knew he would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of them growing and healing and being able to be close and communicate well. I have a draft in for the ShuNazu zine. I have other fics for them in the works. 
> 
> I'm trying not to make too many that involve nightmares, but I thought this one was different enough from the MaoHoku one that it would be ok. Plus, I'm guessing not everyone will end up reading both if they're only interested in one ship. Speaking of ships, please let me know if there's a ship you'd like to see! You can comment here or drop me a DM @usanazunii I've started talking more about fics on there, so if you want to throw me an idea or opinion, please do. (The rest of my account largely consists of EnStars related plush photos, meta comments, and art retweets.) Please comment below if you have any thoughts you'd like to share or feedback you'd like to give. I wholeheartedly welcome concrit.


	5. In Hindsight: Izumi - Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumi reflects on childhood memories he shared with Makoto and comes to a chilling realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first really heavy one in this series. Not all of these stories were planned to be fluff, and this one is far from it. This one is about Makoto's unhappy home life as a kid. There is nothing graphic, and it's looked at from a vague perspective. I would not label it a PTSD trigger. That being said, if this theme makes you uncomfortable, please skip this one.

Izumi Sena laid sprawled upon his bed with his eyes turned, unfocused towards the ceiling. It had been another long day of doing his best to not be the doggedly stubborn and pushy person that he had become when interacting with Makoto. The grey haired boy had been working to look at situations differently and see when he should give Makoto space rather than unintentionally pestering and smothering him. Izumi was learning that giving someone the time and space they needed was also an act of deep caring and love. 

He rolled over onto his side, wondering when Makoto shifted from wanting to spend time together to needing more space than the older boy had realized. The blond used to visit his house for sleepovers all the time. Makoto's mother would always apologize to his parents for the inconvenience, but Izumi was always excited for their sleepovers. Makoto almost always seemed to hate leaving the Sena household the next day, or the day after that, if he spent the whole weekend with them. He became so meek when he heard the doorbell ring. He was also quiet and nervous for the first couple hours whenever he arrived, but then he warmed up and was the bright and bubbly kid that Izumi had loved so much.

Izumi paused and mentally paced backwards a couple thoughts. He began to wonder why Makoto would suddenly become quiet and nervous when his mother arrived. She pushed him to excel in his modeling work, but surely she wasn't like that at home, right? It was entirely because they'd been having such a good time, right? His mother would cook larger meals and send food home with the younger boy. All four of them would play board games together sometimes, and mama would even tuck them both into Izumi's bed, kissing each of them on the forehead.

During the night, Makoto would wiggle closer to him for warmth, sniffling from the cold. Now that Izumi thought about it, the other boy sniffled in the summer too. Had he been crying rather than just having a habit of drooling on the pillow he always used when visiting? Come to think of it, Makoto also whispered questions to him that Izumi, at the time, thought were strange.

It would start with a quiet whisper of, “Izumi, are you awake?”

He would roll toward Makoto if he hadn't already been facing him before replying. “Yeah, why?”

The blond would hesitate before continuing. “Um, I wanted to know something.”

“What is it?”

“Are your parents always this nice-I mean-when it's just the three of you?”

Izumi would pause to think for a minute. “Yeah, they are. Why?”

“N-no reason.” Makoto would then fall silent before rolling over and sniffling, and Izumi would drift off to sleep, hoping he wouldn't catch Makoto's cold, if he was getting one.

He remembered how the younger boy would ask lots of different questions about his family. They usually started, “Hey, Izumi?”

The blue eyed boy would squint at his friend in the darkness and ask, sometimes groggily, “Yeah?”

“Do they fight sometimes?”

“Who?”

“Y-your parents.”

Pausing again to think, nothing would come to mind that was more than a minor disagreement. “Hmm. Not really. Nothing big.”

“Do they yell at each other?”

“Mmm. Not that I can remember.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“No-nothing. Just curious.” Makoto's voice would often seem smaller than usual when he finished.

Makoto's voice seemed to grow meeker and meeker each time he asked, “Um, Izumi?”

“Huh?”

“Do you think...Do you think I...”

Izumi would sometimes have a hard time not suppressing a yawn as he replied, if it was particularly late. “Do I think you what?”

“Um...I...Nevermind.” Makoto rolled over and shivered.

Izumi felt his stomach drop and a chill run through his body. That was definitely in the summer. In retrospect, Makoto had most certainly been shaking while crying silently. Now he desperately wanted to know what Makoto was going to ask that last time. It was one of the last sleepovers they had before Makoto and his mom moved farther away into a different apartment. He wondered if the younger boy cried every night when he was home-if he was scared of his house and his parents fighting-if-if he somehow blamed himself.

He hadn't realized what was happening. He had been no help, just living in blissful ignorance with his happy family. Guilt washed over him as he wondered why Makoto didn't completely hate him for his lack of understanding-no-the other boy was just too nice for that. He probably would have internalized it, like he so often did. Izumi really hadn't helped with that either, saying mean things just to try to get Makoto to cave and join him. He had always wanted the best for the blond, but maybe he had no idea what the best really meant. Maybe he had never been there in the way that the blond really needed. Maybe he was always saying or doing the wrong thing because his views were skewed. He worried that his very presence could even be a painful reminder of the past. 

He couldn't blame his childhood self for not knowing what to do, but he could work to make his current self listen and learn what would be best. Maybe, after giving Makoto a little more space and allowing both of them to decompress, he could write the younger boy a note asking if there was a way he could best support him. He wanted to avoid asking him in a way that would put him on the spot and possibly be distressing, such as walking up and asking him face to face. There was probably no way to make anything right, but he wanted to work to make things better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did this justice!
> 
> Please let me know if there's a character or ship you'd like to see! You can comment here or drop me a DM @usanazunii I've started talking more about fics on there, so if you want to throw me an idea or opinion, please do. (The rest of my account largely consists of EnStars related plush photos, meta comments, and art retweets.) Please comment below if you have any thoughts you'd like to share or feedback you'd like to give. I wholeheartedly welcome concrit.


	6. Cough: KeiEi - Bronchitis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eichi's coughing wakes Keito up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this one done for a while and just kept forgetting to post it. I'm not sure when the next one will be done... I have a few drafts and am always open to requests or suggestions for any character or ship.

Whoosh! 

Crack! 

Keito Hasumi had finally done it. He had fired an arrow into the bulb of the accursed projector that enabled every abysmal presentation he had listened to that week that relied on power points with unreadable blocks of text that the presenters then proceeded to sort of mumble aloud. It had been maddening, but now it would be over. If they brought in another, he'd damn well shoot that one too. He was shaking with frustration and relief.

...No...that wasn't him shaking. The bed was shaking. He wondered if they were having another earthquake, until he woke up enough to hear the coughing. “Eichi?” He rolled over to see his husband sitting up in bed and coughing violently into a tissue. Cloth handkerchiefs had been banned until he got over this spell of bronchitis. 

Eichi's coughs subsided, and he attempted to clear his throat. “I'm alright now. Sorry to wake you,” he rasped out.

Keito shook his head but didn't know if the blond's eyes were adjusted enough to the darkness to see him. “Don't be.” He begins to rub his husband's shoulder and feels him shaking. “Are you cold? Should I turn up the heat?” 

“No. I don't want you to cook yourself alive...plus, there's a more effective way to warm me up...” Eichi trailed off, trying to sound sultry but sounding mostly raspy from his coughing fit. He reached out and undid the first button on Keito's pyjama top.

“Wait-woah.” Keito stammered, “I-I don't think you're in good enough condition for this.”

The blond let out a chuckle that turned into another coughing fit. He had to let go of his husband's top to sit up in bed again. 

“You're coughing a lot. Is it time for your next round of medicine or maybe your inhaler?”

Eichi cleared his throat and drew in a rattling breath that made the dark haired man cringe. He knew Keito had been begging every higher power he believed in that it would not turn into pneumonia. “Inhaler, I think.”

“I'll get it for you.” Keito moved to get out of bed when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

“It's just on my nightstand. I can get it by myself.”

“But I-”

“Don't baby me, Keito.”

“I'm not, I-”

Eichi crossed his arms in front of him. “Not even on my death bed, you hear?”

The other man let out an exasperated sigh. “Please, can you not make a death joke right now?”

“I'm not joking. I'm dead serious.”

“If you weren't sick, I'd smack you with my pillow.”

The blond hummed. “I guess being sick is good for something then.”

“Just go get your inhaler and go back to sleep without trying to undress me.”

“The covers rustled as Eichi scooted closer to the nightstand to reach his inhaler. “Aww. I only wanted to cuddle for warmth. That's why I started laughing when your mind went other places..

The dark haired man wandered if his husband could see or sense his back stiffening and his face flushing with embarrassment. “Y-you could have just said that.” He sputtered.

His husband's response was delayed as he held the medicine in his lungs and counted the seconds before exhaling. “Cut me some slack. I'm sick and sleepy and on more meds than I can keep track of.” He paused and continued more quietly. “As much as I hate to admit it, you fussing and taking care of me is probably a good thing this time.”

Keito reached over to touch his arm. “I know this isn't easy for you and that every part of it is frustrating, but you know I'll always be by your side.”

Eichi's voice was rough when he softly replied. “I know."

The other man couldn't tell if his husband's voice was choked from the bronchitis or from getting emotional. He felt Eichi pull away and heard the clack of the inhaler being placed back on the nightstand. He felt the blond's warm body come to rest beside his own and asked, “Are you still cold? Do you still want to try cuddling shirtless for warmth.”

“Mmmhmm” came the groggy reply as Eichi worked to sit up again and unbutton his own silk pyjama top.. He handed it over to Keito, who folded both their tops and placed them on his matching nightstand. The dark haired man then pressed up against him, wrapping an arm around Eichi's achy body. They drifted back to sleep, hoping it would be a while before the next coughing fit woke them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if there's a character or ship you'd like to see! You can comment here or drop me a DM @usanazunii I've started talking more about fics on there, so if you want to throw me an idea or opinion, please do. (The rest of my account largely consists of EnStars related plush photos, meta comments, and art retweets.) Please comment below if you have any thoughts you'd like to share or feedback you'd like to give. I wholeheartedly welcome concrit.


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